The RED Canids are the perfect story to point to as to why you play out the games. During the two splits and their split one playoffs, the highest RED placed was 3rd and in the second split there were a lot of questions surrounding this team and their ability to be consistent. What did they do in the CBLOL Summer Playoffs? They made the miracle run upsetting Brazillian titans like Flamengo Esports, Vorax Liberty, and Rensga Esports (Big loss not to have their logo in this World’s tournament… go look it up. You will NOT be dissapointed). What made their run even more inspiring was how dominant they looked through the playoffs, only dropping two matches through three series. They have a long road to the group stage with their journey beginning in the play-in stages but they definitely capture the wild playstyle that Brazil is known for which should lead to exciting matches in October!

TOP: Guigo: This is the longest standing member of the squad and a pillar for this team’s performances. While a decent distance behind the CBLOL kill leader for top laners (fNb- 89), his 59 kills puts him in a comfortable second place among his region. He has one of the stronger laning stats among his region and in the play-in portion of the tournament, he should be formidable to go up against.  

JUNGLE: Aegis: If we are speaking plainly, Aegis is probably the biggest driving factor to this team’s success. He had the best experience (+299 EX@10) and gold (+238 GD@10) in the entire CBLOL. He has a 23% team kill share percentage and he finds clever ways to find himself in optimal fighting positions in early and mid game fights. I think unless he is playing against a LNG, HLE, or C9 in the play-ins he should have an advantage over the other junglers. 

MID: Avenger/Grevthar: This was an interesting shift made by RED in the playoffs of Split 2. Avenger had played all of the regular season and had decent showings with a 4.7 KDA but rarely was an x-factor for his team. Grevthar stepped in to the starting five and RED caught fire. He had a 5+ KDA and he did it by sacrificing his laning stats to roam to the outside lanes. He prioritized fighting the enemy rather than passively farm and that could translate well to the World Championship tournament.

ADC: TitaN: TitaN, much like the mid lane situation for RED, stepped up huge in the playoffs. He had the highest KDA In playoffs compared to all ADCs (7+) and really did a good job limiting his deaths. Into higher performing ADCS TitaN will be a high risk, high reward pick but the upside is there, especially with how cheap players from this Brazilian squad should be. 

SUPPORT: Jojo: Of all the picks, Jojo may be the player that you should be most ready to fade in most lineups. He had a decent team kill participation rate (61.7%) but traded for it by sacrificing most of his laning stats and having a higher death count (29 in playoffs which is 2nd most). While against weaker competition, this is less risky. Into the better play from teams like HLE and Cloud9, Jojo will be exposed. This means you have to be smart on when you pick up the South American support and reserve his for games against the smaller region teams like Detonation Don’t Follow Me.

The RED CANIDS come from a region with a storied past of lighting the world on fire in international tournaments with bravado playstyles and lovable players. Look for RED to continue this tradition with wild drafts and aggressive gameplay. This may not lead this team to a birth in the group stages, but it should make for some exciting League of Legends being played!

Cann’s Final Prediction: Play-In Stage Participan